Nantes education authorities have launched a 'Lift the Skirt' campaign to support gender equality. Under the campaign, male students and teachers of 27 public schools are invited to wear skirts on May 16, sparking controversy in the western French city.

The idea to swap trousers for skirts in a stand against sexism
originated from pupils themselves, and was sanctioned by the
city's school authorities and therefore by the Ministry of
Education, the Local reported.

Those who prefer not to bare their legs have the option of
wearing a sticker which says, “I am fighting against sexism,
are you?”

Although the campaign was staged in 20 schools last year, the
anti-sexism initiative has caused a stir on social media and
among local Nantes groups which are planning a protest on 'Lift
the Skirt,' or 'Ce que soulève la jupe' day.

French political activist Frigide Barjot, known for her stance
against same-sex marriage and LGBT adoption, shared the
campaign's press release on twitter and asked the country's
minister for education, Benoit Hamon, if girls should be wearing
beards.

“We’ll do any old nonsense in the name of equality,”
Olivier Vial, president of the conservative UNI party, said.
“This move is inspired by the Day of the Skirt, whose
original aim was to allow women to express their femininity in
environments where it was often difficult. But this is just
denying feminine and masculine identity.”

The news comes just days after Thomas Neuwirth, a singer from
Austria, won the Eurovision song contest while performing as
bearded drag queen Conchita Wurst.

Earlier this year, France was involved in an education brawl over
the teaching of gender theory. Almost half the country's pupils
were absent from primary schools in January after hoax text
messages were sent to parents warning that there were plans to
teach children how to masturbate. Pretending to have been sent by
the Equality and Reconciliation Association, the messages
referred to the 'ABCD of Equality in School' initiative.